The grass isn't always greener

There is a huge difference between the word marriage and wedding. I was not a Muriel who dreamed of a fancy, lavish wedding, I was quite happy with my riverside ceremony and party in our backyard. To me it wasn’t about the day so much, as it was about making the commitment to another person to love and cherish them for the rest of my life. I am lead to believe that some couples and their families are paying in excess of $80,000 for a wedding and reception, with the average cost last year hovering around the $65,000 mark.I have a few younger friends who go to a lot of weddings and on occasions the next bride tries to ‘outdo’ the previous bride’s wedding. The reception tends to be the highest cost, followed closely by the bride’s dress, which may sit around the $10,000 mark. Flowers can cost in excess of $17,000, then we have bridesmaid’s dresses, jewellery, tanning, suits, shoes, flower girls, ring bearers. A professional photographer may be around the $4,000 mark with car hire coming in at around $1,000. You then need to sort invitations, celebrant or church costs, make up, nails, alterations, music, be it an orchestra, live band or DJ, decorations, gifts for the bridal party, rings and of course the wedding cake. I’m glad I don’t have to go through this again.According to research many young couples are footing about 50% of their wedding bill, the remainder is either paid for through credit from the bank or generous parents. Gone are the days of the bride’s family paying for the majority of the wedding, this is due to the fact that most couples are living together before they walk down the aisle. However a wedding is paid for, it is important that no-one gets into financial trouble resulting from the day. Whilst a gorgeous, extreme wedding may suit some couples and their budgets, it is nice to see that a low key wedding still gets an airing every so often. My own wedding was very low key and one of the greatest days of my life. Although we loved our wedding day, we knew that it wasn’t about the day, it was about the journey ahead and sharing our lives together with each other and our children.I dropped my daughter off at a party last weekend in our finest gardens that overlook the beach and often have kangaroos grazing; it is a bit of a magical spot actually. I was therefore not surprised then to see a wedding about to take place, as I was leaving the gardens the bride had just arrived and my heart sank, she looked absolutely gorgeous, as did her bridesmaid. My heart sank because she was too busy bossing people around to enjoy the moment that was. As I walked away I hoped with all my heart that this was just her nerves coming to the forefront before she walked down the aisle and married the man of her dreams and began her lifelong journey with her husband.To all my recently married friends and those getting married this weekend, I wish you all a lifetime of happiness and love. I share with you all, the following poem, which I pinched from Google (Author Unknown).Marriage begins with a wedding,where two people promise “to have and to hold, to loveand to cherish” come what may...The comfort in a marriage comes from caringfor one another, and showing it each day…The happiness in marriage comes from knowing that the love youshare will grow ever stronger as you go through life together.The blessings of marriage are the fulfilment of yourcherished hopes and dreams as your lives unfold,and the realization of the meaning ofthat beautiful promise “To have and to hold…”